York Announces 2017 Dukes of Distinction

ELMHURST, IL — Six Dukes of Distinction have been chosen by a panel of York alumni judges to be honored during a night at the school. The York Distinguished Alumni Program serves to recognize and honor alumni who have distinguished themselves through significant and/or extraordinary accomplishments, service and/or an outstanding contribution to society.

According to a release from the school, YDAP launched in the fall of 2013, honored eight members of the inaugural class. In 2014, seven Dukes of Distinction were honored; eight in were inducted in 2015; and seven more in 2016. This year, the six Dukes of Distinction will be honored on Thursday, Nov. 2, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. in the York High School Commons. The program is free and open to the public.

Honorees for 2017 are:
David Bosse, Class of 1980 – Bosse tried many jobs before answering an ad for a part-time fireman. He was hired by the Lisle/Woodridge Fire Department and later by the Bartlett Fire Department. He graduated from the Paramedic Program with honors. Bosse worked the aftermath of Katrina, receiving Armed Forces Humanitarian and Mutual Aid Box Alarm System medals for his service. He assisted the New York Fire Department after the 9-11 attacks. He received the Medal of Merit after saving a man from a burning building and taking him to safety. Lieutenant Bosse retired in 2016 after 20 years of full-time service. He is married to Monica and has three children: Sophie, Katie, and Josh. Bosse has moved to Tennessee, where he continues teaching CPR/First Aid and helping teach life skills to the disabled.

Blake Byrne, Class of 1953 – Byrne received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in 1957 and a MBA from Columbia University in 1961. He spent 35 years in television broadcasting beginning at CBS in New York, then at Chris Craft Broadcasting in Portland, Oregon; Outlet Broadcasting in Providence, Rhode Island; LIN Broadcasting in Ft. Worth-Dallas and New York; and Disney in Los Angeles, before becoming Co-Founder and President of Argyle Television in Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas. He retired from broadcasting in 1997. In 1997, he founded The Skylark Foundation, a philanthropic family foundation that’s committed to encouraging the protection of LGBTQ rights, striving for social justice and supporting diversity. In 2015, the Foundation supported a travelling art exhibition from Byrne’s private collection in celebration of his 80th birthday. This exhibition was shared with students at Duke University, The Ohio State University, Columbia University and Lewis & Clark College. That same year, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award at Duke University, an honor reserved for just 33 alumni to date. Byrne is a Lifetime Trustee of MOCA, was the Founding Chair of the Nasher Museum, and was honored with a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an honor given for making a significant contribution to the arts in France. Byrne has two children and six grandchildren.

Brigadier General Thomas Fisher, Class of 1986 – Fisher began his military career in the Michigan Army National Guard and continued with the Utah Army National Guard. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2016, a position appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He is currently the Land Component Commander; less than one tenth of one percent of US Army officers reach the rank of General Office. BG Fisher was deployed to Iraq from 2003-2005 and graduated from the U.S. Army War College with a Masters of Strategic Studies.

Linda French, Class of 1982 – French is a twelve-time U.S. National Badminton Champion. As captain of her team, she led York Community High School to a second place finish in the team State finals in 1981 and 1982. She won the Illinois State Badminton Singles Title in 1979, 1981 and 1982. French was selected to join the U.S. Olympic Badminton Team in 1992 and was also on the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team. Extensive travel inspired French to serve as an immigration lawyer. She represents athletes, businesses and individuals. She is proud to represent, pro bono, asylum seekers and victims of violence.

Dr. Judith Bond Johnson, Class of 1955 – Johnson is a nurse and was the first to receive a PhD
from the Adult Education program at the University of Minnesota. Her company, HealthQuest, serves individuals, companies and hospitals whose interest is living with chronic illness. Dr. Johnson’s PhD thesis, the I Can Cope cancer patient education course, was adopted by American and international hospitals. Johnson has lived and traveled abroad. She was appointed as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010. She is editor of the journal Asian Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing and presents on living with chronic illness and patient education.

Mary McEnerney Wooley, Class of 1964 – Wooley is an influential medical and health research
advocate. She is president/CEO of Research!America, a nonprofit alliance dedicated to making health research a higher national priority. Wooley is a member of the distinguished National Academy of Sciences Board on Life Sciences and a Founding Member of the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. She holds two honorary doctorate degrees. She was awarded the Adam Yarmolinsky Award for distinguished service from the National Academy of Medicine and is a member of the visiting committee of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Wooley lives in Washington, D.C. and enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren. She is an avid skier, world traveler and deltiologist. Deltiology is the study and collection of postcards. When she was young, Mary inherited a collection of historical postcards that are now 120 years old.

Photos provided by District 205.